UI/UX Articles and Interesting Tidbits of the Week
August//5//2022
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
The Power of Interaction Design. A brief article from Laura Furlong on the topic of Onboarding. As we all continue to adjust to different working styles and arrangements, one topic that consistently needs attention is Onboarding. It’s essentially the first experience an employee/team member has with an Organization they’re about to join, therefore making sure this process is smooth, well prepared and thoroughly thought through (3 ts!) is imperative. The author highlights aspects such as maintaining a Human Connection, Aligning on Onboarding Documents, and Granting Access to Needed Resources, to name but a few. Well worth a read. Highlight of the article includes:
“Establishing human connection and making new hires feel welcome is a critical moment and can determine talent retention and performance. From the moment a new hire logs on, it is important for them to feel welcome with communication and connection. This can be done by integrating a reference-able guide that walks them through expectations, helpful resources, and a space to communicate and collaborate with their managers and team. This crucial beginning moment also serves the purpose of easing any worries the new hires may have by giving them a source to connect with.”
2.
Rethinking Authentication UX. Another impeccable article from Vitaly Friedman published on Smashing Magazine, on yet a very relevant Interaction Paradigm and topic, specifically Authentication flows. The author thoroughly details aspects pertaining to this topic, including recommendations such as not disabling copy-paste for passwords, dropping strict password requirements, replacing security questions, to name but a few. This is a very pertinent and relevant article, considering all the issues that have occurred with privacy and massive breaches of security. Well worth reading, reflecting and considering in product solutions. Highlight of the article includes:
“Still, we often forget our passwords, sometimes recovering passwords 4–5 times a week. So no wonder many of us still reuse the same password across multiple accounts, often favoring convenience over data safety. In fact, allowing users to choose their own passwords is a recipe for trouble. To fix that, what if we nudge users away from passwords? Any kind of 2-Factor Authentication is better than passwords, and ideally, we could use a cookie that users can opt-in for to avoid frequent log-ins. Data-sensitive sites might want to log out users automatically after every visit (e..g online banking), but simpler sites might be better off avoiding aggressive log-outs and allowing users to stay logged in for 30 days or even longer.”
3.
Defining Optimal Number of Features for your Product. Very pertinent and relevant article from Nick Babich, published on UXPlanet. Typically deciding on what are essential features for a product is tied with a variety of factors, namely timeliness, cost, product impact, client retention, development resources, among many others. The article sheds light on focusing on what’s essential and the journey to getting there. And when embarking on a Design Process, that’s exactly what gets clarified while on that journey. Well worth reading through. Highlight of the article includes:
“Most users don’t need all features that your product offers. So it’s your goal to identify features that the majority of users engage in. It is essential to improve the user experience of those features firsthand because they provide the most value to your target audience. Particularly, you need to simplify the user experience for initial use because the first interaction with your product will form an impression about your product.”
